Consumer Reports: Router risk security

Unplug it, wait 20 seconds or so –– and start it up again. But Consumer Reports says don’t stop there.

Posted: Jun 14, 2018 9:19 AM

Posted By: Consumer Reports

ROUTER SECURITY RISK

You might have heard about the malware, believed to be Russia-linked, that is targeting WiFi routers around the world. The F-B-I is urging people to take immediate action by re-setting their routers. The malware has infected more than half-a-million routers, in at least 54 countries and the threat is potentially growing. It’s called VPN-Filter and even security experts cannot be sure who is vulnerable.

Consumer Reports says that one thing is certain, router security is more important than ever, because all the information from your computer, your devices, flows right thru it. That means your Facebook messages, your banking information, your credit card information. All goes thru your router. So if there’s a breach, that’s really bad.

To fix the problem, the security team at Consumer Reports agrees with the Feds –– start by resetting your router. Unplug it, wait 20 seconds or so –– and start it up again. But Consumer Reports says don’t stop there.

It’s also smart to reset your router’s administrative password –– the password you use to log in to the router itself. Make it something strong. Also, go into the router’s settings and turn off the remote access feature.

And then, update your firmware. Unlike a laptop or a smartphone, most older routers don’t notify you if there’s an update available. So it’s really up to you to check, every three or four months, whether there’s an update available on your manufacturer’s website.

Too much of a hassle? Replace your old router with a new one that updates automatically. Routers from Netgear, Eero, Google, and Linksys all offer an option to take care of updates for you. A router with the latest updates is less vulnerable to malware.

As the story is evolving, it’s becoming clearer every day that this malware is more pervasive and more capable of damage than anyone first realized. Consumer Reports says if you want to be completely sure your system is clean –– and no longer housing nor spreading the malware, the best thing to do is a factory reset on your router. This will revert it back to the way it was when it came from the factory. But while this will be removing both the malware and the settings it was relying on to operate –– it will also remove your settings. Which means you have to set-up your whole system again –– passwords, wireless network and all.